# Diet soda for someone who hates diet soda? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [November 19, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-soda-for-someone-who-hates-diet-soda/427054 "2007-11-19T17:48:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-soda-for-someone-who-hates-diet-soda/427054/81 "2007-11-21T14:45:38Z")
[QUOTE=cmyk] Cola is just too subtle a flavor to make a good diet drink out of. [/QUOTE] Or cola is simply the drink that you preferred in its regular version, so you are comparing it directly to the diet versions. I’m a Diet Coke drinker, and I don’t find the cola flavor even remotely subtle. I’ve just learned to like the taste of the sweetener. I was a Coke drinker. My gateway diet drinks were fruity or ginger ale, because that wasn’t what I normally drank and I couldn’t compare them directly. Diet Coke doesn’t taste like Coke. They just share a name. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-soda-for-someone-who-hates-diet-soda/427054/82 "2007-11-21T15:41:12Z")
I’d go in a different direction. Find some Gold Peak diet iced tea. You’d swear you were drinking homemade sweet tea. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-soda-for-someone-who-hates-diet-soda/427054/83 "2007-11-21T17:15:09Z")
I’ve never liked diet soda. I could never get past that nasty aftertaste that comes from artificial sweeteners. I tried Coke Zero (I’m a lifelong Coca-Cola junkie), and while it tasted fine in the beginning, that terrible aftertaste still came through. The only diet sodas I can tolerate are Diet 7-Up and the original citrus Fresca. I think it has to do with picking a flavor that still tastes good without sugar, and citrus seems to fill that bill well. In the non-soda category, I’ve really started liking SoBe Diet Cranberry-Grapefruit. They have it in the fountain dispenser in my hospital cafeteria, and it’s replaced Mountain Dew as my pre-lunch libation. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-soda-for-someone-who-hates-diet-soda/427054/84 "2007-11-21T17:31:03Z")
[QUOTE=StuffLikeThatThere] If you like a black cherry diet, try Diet Dr. Pepper Berries and Cream, or Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla. [/QUOTE] Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper is my store-bought drink of choice. But since it’s got lots of caffeine, it might be wise to avoid it in the late evening. My non-store-bought drink of choice is sweet tea, sweetened with Splenda instead of sugar. The recipe’s simple enough: 1. Put a quart or so of water in a pan or teakettle on the stove. Turn burner all the way up. 2. Put in 4 teabags of store-brand-quality tea. Caf, decaf, or mixed, depending on your preference. 3. When the teakettle boils, turn off the heat. Let cool until it’s just warm. 4. Pour the tea into a half-gallon pitcher. Stir in Splenda. Using the kind that comes in bags rather than packets, I put in just under a cup’s worth. YMMV. Once you’ve done that, fill the rest of the half-gallon pitcher with water. Or put in a few ounces of lemonade and then fill up with water, if you like your tea with lemonade. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-soda-for-someone-who-hates-diet-soda/427054.md?page=4)